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A review by mr_rogers_el_camino
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Cowboys vs. Indians and Indians vs. the World. We all think we know the story of how the west was forged into what it is today, but I'm sure this book will still shock and surprise you.
This is the rigorously investigated and chronicled true story of the plains Indians at the turn of the century. Intimate and devastating we are asked to bare witness as societies, cultures, religions, families and individuals literally fight to the death for the right to exist and thrive. This book doesn't take sides it simply tells the story of what happened and let's the reader make up their own mind. This may be hard for some readers due to preconceived ideas of manifest destiny and the inherent rightness of colonial expansionism. Others may take offense at learning the depravity of the tactics used by the Native Americans against the settlers. Either way this is an important piece of American history that is required reading for anyone interested in this time period or these larger than life characters.
This is the rigorously investigated and chronicled true story of the plains Indians at the turn of the century. Intimate and devastating we are asked to bare witness as societies, cultures, religions, families and individuals literally fight to the death for the right to exist and thrive. This book doesn't take sides it simply tells the story of what happened and let's the reader make up their own mind. This may be hard for some readers due to preconceived ideas of manifest destiny and the inherent rightness of colonial expansionism. Others may take offense at learning the depravity of the tactics used by the Native Americans against the settlers. Either way this is an important piece of American history that is required reading for anyone interested in this time period or these larger than life characters.